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HB2009 • 2026

constitutional amendments; foreign contributions prohibited

HB2009 - constitutional amendments; foreign contributions prohibited

Elections
Passed Legislature

This bill passed both chambers and reached final enrollment, even if later executive action is not shown here.

Sponsor
Nick Kupper
Last action
2026-02-03
Official status
House minority caucus
Effective date
Not listed

Plain English Breakdown

The official source does not specify what happens if a committee accidentally accepts an illegal foreign contribution.

Foreign Contributions to Arizona Constitutional Amendments

HB2009 stops foreign nationals from giving money to committees that try to influence votes on constitutional amendments in Arizona.

What This Bill Does

  • Bans foreign nationals from contributing money to committees working for or against ballot measures proposing changes to the Arizona Constitution.
  • Allows contributions from federal political groups if they follow U.S. laws and are not from a foreign national.
  • Requires committees to check that contributors are not foreign nationals before accepting their donations.
  • Needs committees to return any illegal foreign contributions within 10 business days.
  • Makes committees report how much money comes from residents versus nonresidents, including details on large nonresident donations.

Who It Names or Affects

  • Committees working for or against ballot measures proposing changes to the Arizona Constitution
  • Foreign nationals trying to influence Arizona elections

Terms To Know

foreign national
An individual who is not a U.S. citizen, resident alien, or whose main business is outside of the United States.
ballot proposition
A measure placed on the ballot for voters to decide that proposes changes to the Arizona Constitution.

Limits and Unknowns

  • Does not specify what happens if a committee accidentally accepts an illegal foreign contribution.
  • The bill does not cover contributions from U.S. entities with significant foreign ownership or control.
  • It is unclear how strictly committees will be required to verify the status of contributors.

Bill History

  1. 2026-02-03 House

    House minority caucus

  2. 2026-02-03 House

    House majority caucus

  3. 2026-02-02 House

    House consent calendar

  4. 2026-01-13 House

    House second read

  5. 2026-01-12 House

    House Rules: C&P

  6. 2026-01-12 House

    House Federalism, Military Affairs & Elections: DP

  7. 2026-01-12 House

    House first read

Official Summary Text

HB2009 - 572R - House Bill Summary

ARIZONA HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

57th
Legislature, 2nd Regular Session

Majority Research Staff

House:
FMAE DP 4-3-0-0

HB 2009
: constitutional amendments; foreign
contributions prohibited

Sponsor:
Representative Kupper, LD 25

Caucus
& COW

Overview

Prohibits foreign
national contributions to committees primarily organized to influence Arizona
constitutional amendments and requires verification of contributor eligibility.

History

Political committees that support or oppose ballot
propositions are subject to registration, contribution reporting and campaign
finance disclosure requirements, including prescribed reporting schedules,
contributor disclosures and specified disclaimers on certain campaign
materials. (
A.R.S. Title
16, Chapter 6
)

Foreign nationals are
prohibited from directly or indirectly making contributions or expenditures in
connection with any federal, state or local election, including ballot
measures, and are subject to enforcement actions and civil penalties for
violations. (
52 U.S.C. �
30121
)

Provisions

1.

Prohibits a
committee organized primarily to influence the outcome of a ballot proposition
proposing an amendment to the Arizona Constitution from accepting or using any
contribution from a foreign national. (Sec. 1)

2.

Exempts from
the prohibition:

a.

contributions
from federally registered political committees that comply with federal law and
do not originate from a foreign national;

b.

independent
expenditures made without coordination with a committee; and

c.

in-kind
volunteer services with no monetary value provided by a non-foreign. (Sec.1)

3.

Requires a
committee to verify, through reasonable means, that a contributor is not a
foreign national, including obtaining a sworn certification and ownership or
control information for entity contributors. (Sec. 1)

4.

Instructs a
committee to return or refund a prohibited contribution within 10 business days
after discovery. (Sec. 1)

5.

Requires a
committee to file campaign finance reports with the Secretary of State that
disclose:

a.

the
aggregate amount and percentage of contributions received from residents and
in-state entities and the aggregate amount and percentage of contributions
received from nonresidents;

b.

the name,
address and state of residence or principal place of business for any
nonresident or out-of-state contribution of $5,000 or more; and

c.

any other
reporting information required under campaign finance law. (Sec. 1)

6.

Directs a
committee that receives more than 20% of its total funding from nonresidents or
out-of-state entities to include a prominent disclaimer in all campaign
materials stating the percentage of out-of-state funding. (Sec. 1)

7.

Classifies a
knowing violation as a class 1 misdemeanor. (Sec. 1)

8.

Authorizes
the Attorney General or a county attorney to enforce the prohibition and impose
civil penalties of up to three times the amount of a prohibited contribution.
(Sec. 1)

9.

Defines
ballot
proposition, committee, foreign national, nonresident
and
resident
.
(Sec. 1)

10.

Contains a
severability clause. (Sec. 2)

11. Cites this
legislation as the
Arizona First Funding Act
. (Sec. 3)

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2009

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Current Bill Text

Read the full stored bill text
HB2009 - 572R - I Ver

PREFILED��� NOV 17 2025

REFERENCE TITLE:
constitutional amendments; foreign
contributions prohibited

State of Arizona

House of Representatives

Fifty-seventh Legislature

Second Regular Session

2026

HB 2009

Introduced by

Representative
Kupper

AN
ACT

amending title 16, chapter 6, article
1.2, Arizona Revised Statutes, by adding section 16-914.01; relating to
campaign contributions and expenses.

(TEXT OF BILL BEGINS ON NEXT PAGE)

Be it enacted by the Legislature of the State of Arizona:

Section 1. Title 16, chapter 6, article 1.2,
Arizona Revised Statutes, is amended by adding section 16-914.01, to read:

START_STATUTE
16-914.01.

Contributions regarding constitutional amendments; foreign
nationals; exceptions; disclosures; enforcement; violation; classification;
definitions

A. Notwithstanding any other law, a
committee that is organized primarily for the purpose of influencing the
outcome of a ballot proposition that proposes an amendment to the Constitution
of Arizona, including through the collection of signatures for an initiative
petition or through the support of or opposition to the ballot proposition
during an election cycle, shall not accept or use any contribution from a
foreign national.

B. This section does not apply to:

1. Contributions from federal
political committees that are registered with the federal election commission
if the contributions comply with federal law and do not originate from a
foreign national.

2. Independent expenditures that are
made directly by a person or entity without coordination with a committee.

3. In-kind contributions of volunteer
services if no monetary value is attached and the volunteer is not a foreign
national.

C. A committee shall:

1. Verify that each contributor is
not a foreign national through reasonable means, including requiring the
contributor to submit a sworn certification attesting that the CONTRIBUTOR is
not a foreign national and, if the contributor is an entity, to provide
information on ownership or control.

2. Return or refund any prohibited
contribution within ten business days after discovery.

3. File reports with the secretary of
state on the schedule prescribed by section 16-927 that disclose:

(
a
) The
aggregate amount and percentage of contributions that are received from
residents and in-state entities.

(
b
) The
aggregate amount and percentage of contributions that are received from
nonresidents.

(
c
) For any
contribution of $5,000 or more from a nonresident or out-of-state entity, the
contributor's name, address and state of residence or principal place of
business.

(
d
) Any other
reporting requirements prescribed in this chapter.

4. If the committee receives more
than twenty percent of its total funding from nonresidents or out-of-state
entities, include a prominent disclaimer in all campaign materials that states
the percentage of out-of-state funding.

D. A knowing violation of this
section is a class 1 misdemeanor. The attorney general or county attorney may
bring an action to enforce this section and may impose civil penalties of up to
three times the amount of the prohibited contribution.

E. For the purposes of this section:

1.
"Ballot
proposition
" means an initiative or referendum
measure that is placed on the ballot for voter approval and that proposes an
amendment to the Constitution of Arizona.

2.
"Committee
" includes a separate segregated fund that is organized to
support or oppose a ballot proposition.

3.
"Foreign
national
" means:

(
a
) An
individual who is not a citizen of the United States or a national of the
United States and who is not lawfully admitted for permanent residence in the
United States.

(
b
) A
government of or political party from a foreign country.

(
c
) A
corporation, limited liability company, partnership, association or other
entity that is organized under the laws of a foreign country or that has its
principal place of business in a foreign country.

(
d
) A
corporation, limited liability company, partnership, association or other
entity that is organized under the laws of this state or another state in the
United States if the corporation, limited liability company, partnership,
association or other entity consists of either:

(
i
) An
individual or entity that is listed in subdivision (
a
), (
b
) or (
c
) of this paragraph and that holds, owns,
controls or otherwise has direct or indirect beneficial ownership of five
percent or more of the total equity, outstanding voting shares, membership
units or other applicable ownership interests of the entity.

(
ii
) Two or
more individuals or entities that are listed in subdivision (
a
), (
b
) or (
c
) of this
paragraph and that hold, own, control, or otherwise have direct or indirect
beneficial ownership of an aggregate of twenty percent or more of the total
equity, outstanding voting shares, membership units or other applicable
ownership interests of the entity.

4.
"Nonresident
":

(
a
) Includes
residents of other states.

(
b
) Does not
include foreign nationals.

5.
"Resident
" means an individual who maintains a primary residence in this
state and who is eligible to vote in this state's elections or who has resided
in this state for at least one hundred eighty-three days in the preceding
calendar year for tax purposes.
END_STATUTE

Sec. 2.
Severability

If a
provision of this act or its application to any person or circumstance is held
invalid, the invalidity does not affect other provisions or applications of the
act that can be given effect without the invalid provision or application, and
to this end the provisions of this act are severable.

Sec. 3.
Short title

This act may be cited as the
"Arizona First Funding Act
".